Review 4275: Le Manzinaie, Girasole

When

July 2009, One week

Location

The attraction of Podere Manzinaie is not the view or the location or the immediate vicinity. When you arrive to the gate of the property you may wonder "Why did we choose a holiday location right here, in the middle of an ordinary, flat, agricultural landscape, close to the A1 highway?" (don't worry, you can't hear it). But once you are inside the gate it's like a different world. And once you want to explore the southern and central part of Tuscany you realize how convenient the place is located if you have a car.

Nearby Amenities

You need a car to feel comfortable. A couple of kilometers to nearest village/shops.

The House/Apartment

Wonderfully restored building with hand-painted walls and modern amenities. We stayed four people (two adults and two teenagers) in the apartment Girasole. This apartment is perfect for four with two separate bedrooms and attached bathrooms in each end of the apartment and a living room/kitchen in between. And what a restoration work Marzia and her family has done to this place.

Garden

Also the outside garden area is a real gem: Nice pool area, good sun beds and free access to produce from the enormous kitchen garden. Everything carefully attended to.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

Furniture was nice but not extraordinary. The only thing missing was comfortable seating (sofa and/or armchair) for four persons - there is a sofa for two but no sofa table. The apartment was spotlessly clean - never seen anything like it at a holiday place.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

Beds were nice and comfortable. Bathrooms probably the best we have seen at a holiday place. Excellent materials and build quality, tastefully decorated, very cozy and Tuscan-style.

Kitchen

The kitchen was useful but not extraordinary. Plenty of pots, pans, utensils of good quality. A couple of nights we didn't go to restaurants and used it to cook full meals - no problems. Gas stove, oven, and microwave oven.

Problems or Bonuses

The real attraction here is the hospitality of Alice, Fiore and Marzia and their dedication to detail in every way they care about their guests and the property. Like when we realized the fridge in the apartment was full of nice food when we arrived a Saturday afternoon too late to buy food at the supermarket! Or when they invited all guests for home-made dinner one evening, sharing a bit of their life with us.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

July 2009: €978 per week.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

We read the reviews before booking (in fact, the rave reviews MADE us book this property despite the location and immediate surroundings). And honestly, we were not disappointed. I would recommend this place to anybody - as long as you don't require views of the landscape from the property. You can't see anything outside the property from within the property - but it doesn't matter because the property itself is so nice. The vistas you'll get on car trips in the Montepulciano region. You definitely need a car to stay at this place.

Things to do in this area

In the immediate vicinity: nothing. But spend 10-20 minutes in the car and you have a range of nice Tuscan village options. Montepulciano was probably our favorite destination in this area. Or spend the day reading pool-side in the lush garden.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.